diff --git a/components/SearchBar/SearchBar.jsx b/components/SearchBar/SearchBar.jsx
index 51188942a..201687c52 100644
--- a/components/SearchBar/SearchBar.jsx
+++ b/components/SearchBar/SearchBar.jsx
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ class SearchBar extends Component {
 
   handleSuggestionsUpdate(requestNo, data) {
     if (requestNo === this.state.maxRequestNo) {
-      this.setState({loading: false, suggestions: data})
+      this.setState({loading: false, suggestions: data, selectedSuggestionIdx: null})
     }
   }
 
@@ -71,7 +71,8 @@ class SearchBar extends Component {
           searchValue: this.refs.searchValue.value,
           requestNo: rc,
           maxRequestNo: rc,
-          loading: true
+          loading: true,
+          searchState: 'focused'
         }
       },
       function() {
@@ -93,11 +94,45 @@ class SearchBar extends Component {
 
   onKeyUp(evt) {
     const eventKey = evt.keyCode
+    evt.stopPropagation()
+    evt.preventDefault()
     // if return is pressed
     if (eventKey === 13) {
       this.setState({ searchState: 'filled' }, function() {
         this.search()
       })
+    } else if (eventKey === 39) { // right arrow key is pressed
+      const suggestion = this.state.suggestions.length > 0 ? this.state.suggestions[0] : null
+      if (suggestion) {
+        this.refs.searchValue.value = suggestion
+        // trigger the change event handler
+        this.onChange()
+      }
+    } else if (eventKey === 38) { // up arrow key
+      const currSelectedIdx = this.state.selectedSuggestionIdx
+      if (currSelectedIdx) { // index is none of (undefined, null, 0)
+        const suggestionIdx = currSelectedIdx - 1
+        const suggestion = this.state.suggestions[suggestionIdx]
+        this.refs.searchValue.value = suggestion
+        this.setState({
+          selectedSuggestionIdx : suggestionIdx,
+          searchValue: suggestion
+        })
+      }
+    } else if (eventKey === 40) { // down arrow key
+      const currSelectedIdx = this.state.selectedSuggestionIdx
+       // index is none of (undefined, null, 0)
+      if (typeof currSelectedIdx === 'undefined'
+        || currSelectedIdx === null
+        || this.state.suggestions.length > currSelectedIdx + 1) {
+        const suggestionIdx = typeof currSelectedIdx === 'number' ? currSelectedIdx + 1 : 0
+        const suggestion = this.state.suggestions[suggestionIdx]
+        this.refs.searchValue.value = suggestion
+        this.setState({
+          selectedSuggestionIdx: suggestionIdx,
+          searchValue: suggestion
+        })
+      }
     }
   }
 
@@ -140,7 +175,7 @@ class SearchBar extends Component {
 
     const results = this.state.loading === true
       ? <div className="loading-suggestions"><Loader /></div>
-      : <SearchSuggestions recentSearch={ recentList } popularSearch={ popularList } onSuggestionSelect={ this.handleSuggestionSelect } />
+      : <SearchSuggestions recentSearch={ recentList } searchTerm={ this.state.searchValue } popularSearch={ popularList } onSuggestionSelect={ this.handleSuggestionSelect } />
     return (
       <div className={ sbClasses }>
         <input className="search-bar__text" onFocus={ this.onFocus } onChange={ this.onChange } onKeyUp={ this.onKeyUp } ref="searchValue" value={this.state.searchValue} />
diff --git a/components/SearchSuggestions/SearchSuggestions.jsx b/components/SearchSuggestions/SearchSuggestions.jsx
index fca906a37..98b4eba6f 100644
--- a/components/SearchSuggestions/SearchSuggestions.jsx
+++ b/components/SearchSuggestions/SearchSuggestions.jsx
@@ -23,15 +23,18 @@ class SearchSuggestions extends Component {
   render() {
     const recentList = this.props.recentSearch
     const popularList = this.props.popularSearch
-
     const suggestionItem = (term, i) => {
       let labelDOM = term
       const searchTerm = this.props.searchTerm
+      let exactMatch = false
       if (searchTerm.length > 0) {
         const idx = term.toLowerCase().indexOf(searchTerm.toLowerCase())
         if (idx !== -1) {
+          // check if exact match
+          exactMatch = idx === 0 && term.length === searchTerm.length
+          // prepare DOM for the content to be rendered under StandardListItem
           labelDOM = (
-            <span>
+            <span className={ itemClasses }>
               { term.substring(0, idx) }
               <strong>{ searchTerm }</strong>
               { term.substring(idx + searchTerm.length) }
@@ -39,9 +42,13 @@ class SearchSuggestions extends Component {
           )
         }
       }
-   
+      // prepares css class for li
+      const itemClasses = classNames(
+        { selected : exactMatch }
+      )
+      // prepares and returns the DOM for each popular/recent search item
       return (
-        <li key={ i } data-term={term} onClick={ this.handleClick }>
+        <li key={ i } data-term={term} onClick={ this.handleClick } className={ itemClasses }>
           <StandardListItem labelText={ labelDOM } showIcon={ false } />
         </li>
       )
@@ -105,13 +112,13 @@ class SearchSuggestions extends Component {
 SearchSuggestions.propTypes = {
   onSuggestionSelect    : PropTypes.func.isRequired,
   recentSearch          : PropTypes.array,
-  popularSearch           : PropTypes.array,
+  popularSearch         : PropTypes.array,
   searchTerm            : PropTypes.string
 }
 
 SearchSuggestions.defaultProps = {
   recentSearch          : [],
-  popularSearch           : [],
+  popularSearch         : [],
   searchTerm            : ''
 }
 
diff --git a/components/SearchSuggestions/SearchSuggestions.scss b/components/SearchSuggestions/SearchSuggestions.scss
index 5ef8af091..52668c273 100644
--- a/components/SearchSuggestions/SearchSuggestions.scss
+++ b/components/SearchSuggestions/SearchSuggestions.scss
@@ -68,6 +68,10 @@
 		padding: 0;
 		padding-bottom: 5px;
 
+		li.selected {
+			background-color: $gray-light;
+		}
+
 		.StandardListItem {
 			align-items: initial;
 			text-align: left;